1. Field of Invention
The present invention generally relates to a device for releasing fluid from a relatively high pressure source to a relatively low pressure receiver. More particularly, the invention relates to a valve for rapidly deflating pressurized containers, such as pneumatic vehicle tires, to desired, predetermined pressures.
2. Background
Many conventional devices for relieving fluid pressure from a container are known to exhibit undesirable characteristics. Such undesirable characteristics include slowness of pressure relief, instabilities or oscillations in the motion of valve components during pressure relief resulting in high frequency noise (i.e., a "screech"), excessively high wear rate on sealing components, and short valve life. Additionally, conventional devices typically suffer from hysteresis during the opening and closing functions of the valve. This hysteresis leads to an inaccurate and unrepeatable threshold relief pressure. Therefore, a need exists for an accurate valve that can relief pressure quickly without oscillation and component wear. The present invention fulfills this need among others.